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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — in music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fine — all right
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. row — a line
  19. key — for a lock
  20. date — the fruit
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kick — in football
  23. row — to paddle
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com